Obama Presses Case For Action on Syria

In a news conference at the G-20 summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, President Barack Obama said that failure to respond to a chemical weapons attack in Syria would send the wrong signal to rogue nations and terrorist organizations. Obama is expected to discuss Syria on Tuesday. Photo: AP.

By

Jared A. Favole

Updated Sept. 6, 2013 11:21 a.m. ET

President Barack Obama, recognizing the deep skepticism about military action in Syria, said he planned to address the nation on Tuesday about why he wants to punish the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for allegedly using chemical weapons against civilians.

Failing to respond to the use of chemical weapons, Mr. Obama said, would send a "signal to rogue nations" that there are no consequences when people use such weaponry against their own people. Speaking at the end of the meeting of the Group of 20 industrial and developing countries in Russia, he said he planned on making his "best case" to the international community and the public about why he wants to order strikes against the Assad regime.

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President Obama discusses Thursday night's meeting with Russian President Vladmir Putin and other world leaders regarding their thoughts on Syria, at the G-20 Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia. Photo: AP.

U.S. lawmakers from both parties are expressing deep skepticism or outright opposition to military action and saying they want to hear more from the president on why it is in America's national security interest.

Mr. Obama met with international leaders to gain their support for striking Syria and said he is "confident" that a majority of the leaders support a U.S. strike against Syria. He said he recognizes that some, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, dispute that the Assad regime was behind the attack.

Mr. Obama said he met briefly with Mr. Putin and had a "candid, constructive" conversation. He said the two leaders discussed Syria but didn't discuss Edward Snowden, the man behind leaks about the National Security Agency's surveillance programs.

Mr. Putin said he came no closer to an agreement on Syria after his meeting with Mr. Obama, and blamed Syria's rebels for a recent alleged chemical-weapons attack in a public appearance capping the summit.

Mr. Putin, who has opposed a military strike in Syria and served as one of Mr. Assad's strongest allies, said that at the end of a "very meaningful, constructive and friendly conversation" with Mr. Obama, each stuck to his opinions. "I don't agree with his arguments, and he doesn't agree with mine," Mr. Putin said.

Mr. Putin vowed to continue supplying weapons and humanitarian aid to Syria. "Will we continue to help Syria? We will," Mr. Putin said. "We're helping them now. We are supplying arms, cooperating in the economic sphere."

The Russian leader also rejected claims by the Obama administration and European nations that Mr. Assad's forces carried out the Aug. 21 chemical-weapons attack in the suburbs of Damascus that spurred international movement toward military action against his government.

"Everything that happened with the so-called chemical weapons use—it was a provocation from the side of the insurgents, who are counting on outside help from the countries that have supported them from the start," Mr. Putin said. "This is the whole point of the provocation."

Mr. Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and a host of other top administration officials have intensified efforts in recent days to persuade lawmakers about the necessity for punishing Mr. Assad's regime for allegedly using chemical weapons against civilians.

The administration has argued that not striking against Syria would embolden Mr. Assad to use more chemical weapons and would send a message to other countries—such as Iran—that the U.S. won't respond to the use of weapons of mass destruction. They also say not taking action would make the U.S. and its allies in the region, notably Israel, more vulnerable to attack.

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